Samuel shrugged. “I thought Clan Ramsay.”
“Nay, fool. She’s from Clan Grant. Her sire is Alexander Grant.”
Samuel whistled. “Och. That’s the one who helped the lass win the sapphire sword. And Alex Grant gave it to the lad.”
“Who is the lad who has it now?”
Samuel sighed and took a step back before he replied. “Alex Grant’s great-grandson.”
“Shite.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Merryn
Merryn leaned against Broc, snuggling into his body heat that warmed her through his tunic. The ship they were on was sizable, a number of rowers beneath the deck because the waters were a bit rough.
They rocked along, the gray clouds casting an angry shadow over the sea, reflective of what their mission entailed.
Connor said, “It looks like there are indeed quite a few cottages together. Is there a town or a tavern where we can ask questions? Someone may have a suggestion of where the crude group might be.”
Thane stepped to the bow, pointing ahead toward the land. “There are cottages on each part, so probably best if we separate. I would suggest Merryn and Broc go together, one archer, one swordsman, to the north side. Connor and I will take the south end because you young ones will travel faster than we will. Simmy and Artan, you take the eastern end. Meet back here in three hours, and if we’ve had no luck, we’ll all go through the western end, which is the most populated. I do think Kelvan is likely to be on the eastern part. He’ll stay away from the populated areas and stick to somewhere with a nearby escape route. Close to the sea, I would wager. Be alert, Simmy.”
Once on the southern shore, the three groups separated, and Merryn didn’t mind one bit that Broc took her hand as they headed out. Thane had explained the best route to take as they moved toward the only path heading straight across to the northern shore. He was certain there would be a line of cottages along the way.
“Are you unsettled, lass?”
“A wee bit. I’ll admit it. If I see Kelvan, I fear I won’t be wise about it, and I’ll react with emotion. Will you help me?”
He kissed her cheek. “I will gladly help you with that. I’m going to remain as calm as I can because I will constantly remind myself that my mother’s life is at stake, along with the lives of four innocent bairns. I pray they have not been hurt.”
“Everyone now believes that Lia is a faery, so will she not protect the others?”
“I believe she will. She’s promised to protect Magni forever, and now she has dedicated herself to protecting Shealee, so I believe she’ll save her from harm too. The bairns have been taken twice, and none were hurt yet. I believe Lia has protected them thus far, and I hope it continues. Tora is mysterious in her own way. Magni says that she scares the others because she knows things she shouldn’t. They think of her as a witch, not a seer.”
They moved along, coming to a group of cottages.
“How do we do this, Broc?” She had no idea how to approach. One did not just walk into a stranger’s cottage, but she also did not wish to warn them by knocking on the doors.
“Let’s ask. Uncle Connor said that was how they learned of their location on Coll. The local villagers told them where the villains were.”
As they approached the hamlet, two men sat on a log near the local well, chatting and chuckling. “May we have a drink?” Broc asked.
“Aye. Where are you headed?” One man was clearly much older than the other, gray-haired with the thick, weathered skin of a fisherman. He let the younger man speak while his eyes assessed the situation.
“We’re looking for four bairns. Know you where a new group of visitors might be held?”
The two men glanced at each other, then peered over their shoulders, as if making sure they were not being watched.Merryn squeezed Broc’s hand with excitement. Perhaps they were about to find the group.
The younger man looked to the elder, who nodded. “Farther ahead and closer to the coast, there’s a cottage where there have been some strange circumstances as of late. My brother said he heard crying coming from it when he returned from fishing, as if there were bairns inside. It was previously unoccupied. It stands alone, so no one would know who it belonged to. You could try there.”
“Which way?” There was a fork in the path ahead of them, so the younger man pointed.
“Take the path on the right straight to the shore. You’ll be there in half the hour.”
Broc said, “We have friends who might follow us in a while. Please point them in this direction if we don’t return.”
“Sure will.”
